Monster: A Redux
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: AU. Technically a remake of my fanfic 'Monster.' What if Pit wasn't the Cagemaster's favoured one? What if the hatred of the HIerophant towards the Smashers, especially Samus, was more blantant, and his relationship with the Magician seemingly more confusing? What if...?
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**Author note: I do not own Super Smash bros.**

**Okay, you're probably thinking along the lines of something like this: "Uh, didn't you write and finish writing 'Monster' last year already? Why are you doing it again?"**

**The idea came to me while I was rereading 'Monster,' actually. What if things had been different during 'Monster?' What if Pit hadn't been the favoured fighter of Cagemaster Illustria, and that it was someone else (IF there was a favourite in existence)? What if the Hierophant's hatred towards the Smashers (especially Samus) had been more blatant, and his relationship with the Magician seemingly more confusing? What if...?**

**A lot of what ifs came to me, and I had to write this as a result. It probably won't be updated often (same goes for my other fics 'Clarity,' 'Fight Inside,' etc), but I do hope you enjoy reading this remake (could it techincally be called a remake? A lot of things will be different than the original, I think...). I don't hate the original version that I wrote, but this is more of an experiment consisting of those what ifs.**

**Warning: Violence, various pairings (some are the same from the original, but others will be different), OCs (I own all of them), some swearing**

**Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks!**

* * *

_**Monster: A Redux**_

* * *

_**1. **_

He entered the library quietly, doing his best not to make a sound. Silently closing the door behind him, he let out a small, shaky breath as he pushed a few loose locks of blond hair from his pale face.

Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong were dead, at the hands of the crowd and at the hands of Strength. The Magician shook his head out of the memories-_the blood splattered all over the hospital wing as Fox let out a horrified scream, the crowd roaring with pleasure as they ripped the limbs of the ape straight out of its sockets_-and instead walked over to a nearby bookshelf.

Yes. Perhaps reading something would calm his nerves. Reading always helped him, as much as the time he took during a good shower-those activities gave him the time to think properly, after all. Even sleeping couldn't calm him at times-his dreams were plagued with so many memories, and he could never keep track of all of them when asleep.

_A piece of fiction would be nice,_ the Magician mused, as he let his hand trail along the spines of the many books on the shelves. _There was one in particular that I enjoyed reading. What was it called again? _He closed his eyes, struggling to remember. _It was called...something. Space. Suns...stars. Oh, yes!_

He reached towards a book titled "Thoughts of the Universe."

The next thing he realized, there was another hand about to grab the same book. His hand and the other hand stopped at once, and he slowly turned to his left.

The one who had reached towards the book was none other than Samus Aran, Rank B fighter.

"Ah...Miss Samus." He managed to say, smiling at her. "Supernatural? Never expected you to be the type to read such a genre." He remarked as he let her take the book from the shelf. It was a nice coincidence that she happened to be here, the Magician mused to himself. He did like her-not romantically of course, but as a friend; a friend out of the many strangers that he technically had superiority over.

"Nor did I expect you to read such writing." The bounty huntress remarked back, opening the book. The Magician paused, before reading the first words of the novel aloud.

"A thousand stars, a thousand suns, all of which whirl about the worlds. But there is only _one_ moon that they all revolve about ever so slowly within the depths of time." He paused, smiling a bit more. He always loved this novel, and the Cagemaster was the one who wrote it. Did that mean he technically loved her, as well? Or was it just her writing that swayed him so? "I never thought the Cagemaster...loved writing so much, to the point of writing so many books. I've read this one several times." He remarked to Samus quietly.

Samus nodded once, before she looked down at his choice of clothing. "What happened to your regular clothing?" She asked, gesturing to the dressing gown that he wore.

"Ah...um..." He blushed with embarrassment. He _knew_that he should have done the laundry yesterday, when he still had a set of clothing to spare... "Forgive me. It appeared that my masculine attire is all in the wash, and I couldn't find anything else that seemed to fit except for my dressing gown. I apologize for my appearance." He twirled another lock of his hair awkwardly, before pulling his hand away and looking down at the ground briefly. This was so embarrassing...

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, and the Magician didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Rather, ah,_ intimate_, isn't it?"

He pushed Samus a few steps away by the shoulder as they both turned to face the Hierophant, a fellow member of the Arcane and his _lover. _The Magician always wondered how odd it was that a former noble had fallen in love with a former servant. The man could be so repulsive towards the Smashers, but always doted on him and him alone. And how possessive and charming he was all at once-the Magician couldn't think of

"Look," Samus started with a growl, "Whatever twisted scene you_ think_ you saw, you _bastard-"_

"Whatever twisted scene I _thought_ I saw? My eyes do not deceive me." The Hierophant responded before his dark amber eyes flickered in the Magician's direction. "I never thought you were the type to...play hard to get with the ladies, with implied flirtatious comments and that polite behaviour of yours." He commented, taking a few steps towards him. "Really, darling, I never thought..."

The Magician shuddered slightly. Did the Hierophant think he was cheating on him? No, no, he must be trying to be teasing right now. The Magician bit his lip for a moment, before looking at the Hierophant in the eyes. _No, no, calm down, calm down..._

"I was not flirting, Hierophant. Quit your teasing." He spoke with the best monotone expression he could make in his voice and on his face.

The Hierophant paused for a moment. Perhaps he had gotten the hint, to not go any further in front of Samus?

The Magician was mistaken.

The next thing he knew, his back was pressed against the Hierophant's chest with a heavy arm wrapped about his waist, hands caressing his waist and several strands of his hair. "Tease..._teasing?_ Hmm? Perhaps I had a misconception, forgive me, darling Magician..." the Hierophant drawled aloud. There was a pause before the Hierophant's breath could be felt on his ear during his whisper. "I think you're more of the _tease_ than I am, anyway. _You're_ the one playing _hard to get_, even though you're _mine_, and you _know it_."

The Magician did his best not to panic, but he ended up letting out a small shriek as he felt the Hierophant's hands continue their gentle caressing; not that he hated it, of course, but _now!?_ No! Now was not the time-

There was a sickening punch to the Hierophant's face, and the Magician felt an instinct to hit Samus back. He restrained himself-he would not ever dare harm a friend, not ever, but- _You idiot! _He wanted to scream. _Don't do that-you should have just left! Or tell us to go get a room, if you're that disgusted Samus! Something-anything but not that!_

The Hierophant took the hit as an invitation to hit Samus back in the face. His punch sent her sprawling onto the ground, and his dark amber eyes shone of a flickering flame of malice.

"_Filthy lower ranks_." The Hierophant growled, spitting on the ground in disdain as he placed his foot on the bounty huntress' face. "_Must_ they meddle with such private interaction?" He grumbled, turning to face the Magician with a disappointed face.

As if the Magician could call it private interaction-it was anything _but _private. He let out a sigh, shaking his head a bit.

"Hierophant..." He hesitated, before continuing. "Just let her go. She didn't understand...and besides, you have a match in a couple minutes. I don't like it when you take out your anger on people outside the matches, you know." He ended the statement with a more upset look towards his lover. He really did hate it when the Hierophant picked on the Smashers, especially if their rank was far lower than his.

"Fine." The Hierophant muttered sourly, the expression on his face turning dismal. "I'll just go ahead and kill Bowser, then...slowly and full of torture, just like Strength did to Diddy Kong earlier today. Perhaps I'll even rip him inside out." The Magician felt a twinge of pain in his chest as he watched the Hierophant leave the room-He didn't mean to hurt his feelings. But the Magician knew he had done the right choice-at least, he hoped so.

The Magician helped Samus up. "I'm sorry." He whispered quietly, looking away from her briefly in shame. "I really need to work on defending myself at times like this." He mumbled afterwards, more of as a note to himself than to her.

Samus sighed. "Really, Magician...I don't understand how you ever got into your current relationship with the Hierophant. He always seems to be controlling you in some way."

He froze slightly at this statement-was it really true? He wasn't sure about it, nor did he feel like he wanted to know yet. He would muse about it some other time.

The Magician hesitated before speaking, in a tone that was quieter-as if he was explaining something gravely important to a child. "Samus, other than the Cagemaster, the Hierophant was the one who saved me from real death. Had it not been for either of them, I would not have existed before your very eyes. The Hierophant was the one who nursed me to proper health and showed me the rules were in the tournament, and...The two of us fell for each other eventually. It's very complicated to explain, but then again, Death says that love is a complicated thing at times."

Samus seemed to nod once, in understanding, though she didn't seem to look too happy about Death being mentioned. As far as he knew, he bet that she thought that Death was insane, rambling about how stupid love could be and such.

"We should probably get some rest for tomorrow." The Magician paused as he turned to leave. "Goodnight, Samus."

"Goodnight." Samus replied quietly as he shut the library door behind him.

The Magician hesitated for a moment, standing outside the door. Should he go confront his lover, talk to him a bit? Make him feel better?

He shook his head. He needed sleep. The Hierophant needed sleep. Everyone needed sleep. Sleep_ was_ supposed to make everything better, right?

He doubted sleep would help him tonight, though. There was no way that sleep could erase everything that had happened just now, after all.


	2. Disgusting

**_2. Disgusting_**

"Heeey...Strength...Come on, wake up! Morning!"

Strength groaned as Death nearly yelled into his ears, and he covered his head with the pillow in retaliation. "Five more minutes," He mumbled quietly._ "Please."_

"Nope." He heard the soft, childish giggling, before two hands shook him by his left shoulder. "Get up! The Cagemaster wants to see you for breakfast!"

The older man let out a groan and sat up, pushing strands of red and brown hair out of his face. "Her reason to do so better not be because she wants to eat me, otherwise I'm not going." He muttered, turning to face the little girl (or at least she was a girl to him) standing by his bed.

Death frowned slightly as she adjusted one of her two long pigtails. "Oh, no Strength! Not that. At least, I don't think she's a cannibal quite yet. I'm not sure if the Cagemaster is willing to stoop that low..." She murmured softly, her eyes wide with some sort of reassuring self-confusion.

Strength shook his head as he got up, stretching his arms and massaging his own shoulders. "I was joking, Death. Can't you take a joke?" He asked, chuckling a little. Death giggled a bit, and he smiled as he saw her laugh-it reminded him of his little sister, whenever she was so happy and-

Strength shook the memory out of his mind. He couldn't focus on the past-not now, at least.

"Alright. I'll tell the Cagemaster that you'll be there in fifteen to twenty minutes." She sang as she skipped out the door. "I've got a match with the peachy princess today-I can't waste too much time talking with anyone, unfortunately. See you later!"

As the door shut behind her, Strength let out a sigh, letting a smile overtake his face for a moment. He let it fade, and he started to get dressed. He couldn't keep the Cagemaster waiting, no matter how patient the Cagemaster could be.

* * *

Link let out a soft groan as he walked down the hall quietly.

Did he_ really_ have to have the first match today? And with the_ Hierophant_, of all opponents? He gritted his teeth slightly. He would rather fight the _Cagemaster _than fight against that bastard. Out of all of the Arcane, that man was the one he disliked most...

"...And, it's just...I'm sorry."

Link looked up slightly, noticing two older men several paces away from him. One of them was the Magician, as Link could see from the long blond hair and white clothing. The other was-

"It's understandable, Magician, that you would defend the lower ranks. It's something I need to expect, isn't it?" The Hierophant's deep voice drawled as he stood only inches away from the Magician, who looked almost a bit_ flustered. _"You're someone who naturally cares for others, especially those of a lower position than you. You're very...fragile, like butterfly wings. And I suppose I _should_ try to save the intimacy when it's just the two of us-those lower ranks don't need to see my displays of affection for you to know that we are together."

The Magician seemed to blush a little, looking downwards. "Does that mean you...forgive me?" He asked quietly. "For-"

He never got to say anything further, for that was the moment when the Hierophant leaned forwards, pushed the Magician's chin upwards and kissed him chastely. The Magician's eyes widened in surprise, and Link looked away in disgust. The two were _disgusting;_ the Hierophant for being the controlling, manipulative man he was, and the Magician for being unable to stand his ground, to be so submissive. Those two were the most disgusting out of all of the Arcane-even worse than the Cagemaster, he was sure...

"Disgusting." Link muttered under his breath, before turning around and starting to walk away.

The next thing he realized, the Hierophant had spun him around, and picked him up by the collar of his tunic. The Hierophant's amber eyes bore into Link's blue ones with a blazing anger, ready to burn the Hero of Twilight to a crisp.

"My _apologies_, but _what _did you just say?" The Hierophant hissed. There was silence for a moment, before he spoke again. "Disgusting? How rude, lower rank, for calling us disgusting. It is _you_ who is disgusting, for calling us such dirty names."

_"Stop this." _The two turned to see Mewtwo, his arms crossed. _"Honestly, Hierophant, I thought that you would know better than this-no fighting is allowed outside of the Arena unless the Cagemaster gives full permission. And I highly doubt the Cagemaster has given permission for this, has he?" _He stated, giving the Hierophant a look. _"And I thought you promised to the Magician just now that you would decrease those sort of activities.."_

"You heard wrong." The Hierophant snapped back, glaring at the psychic Pokémon. "I never promised that."

_"You seemed to imply it, human."_

In one swift motion, the Hierophant threw the green-capped Smasher aside and backhanded Mewtwo in the face. The psychic pokemon merely let his face turn, though, barely recoiling from the strike. There was silence, before Mewtwo turned towards the Hierophant again, deep violet eyes boring into darkened amber ones.

"Stop it already, all of you-" The Magician stepped inbetween the three of them before anything else could happen. "Hierophant, you have a match. You should go." He whispered softly, turning towards the Hierophant. The Hierophant nodded once, spat at Link's face as the Hero of Twilight slowly stood with Mewtwo's help, and he turned on his heel.

Link glared at the Hierophant's back. "Don't think you'll win so easily today." He snapped, his hands balling into fists.

A dark chuckle echoed gently from the Hierophant's throat. "Don't you dare start assuming things so easily, you half-dead insect." He whispered back, before walking away.

The Magician shook his head quietly, before turning towards Link and Mewtwo. "I apologize for him." He murmured quietly, bowing a little bit. "He never trusted people too much-I'm the one he trusts the most, and whenever we are together, well-"

_"He assumes people are out to criticize him for the relations you two hold towards each other, especially us Smashers." _Mewtwo answered for him. _"He has a fear of being ridiculed, doesn't he?"_

The Magician seemed to smile faintly, but Link wasn't sure. "Well, that could be true. I don't really know-I'm not the Hierophant himself, am I? The only one that can know completely about a certain person is that person himself or herself, right?" He glanced at a nearby clock in the hallway. "My apologies, but I must go now. I have a match I need to watch. It was pleasant chatting with you two."

With that, the Magician turned on his heel and walked down the hall, following the Hierophant's trail.

The psychic Pokémon let out a sigh, before turning towards Link. _"Link, you do know better than to rile up the Arcane, I hope. You know what happened to Diddy Kong and Fox after they tried to attack the Hierophant last night." _He told him, glaring a little bit.

"I know, Mewtwo." Link's teeth gritted slightly as he responded. "I know, it's just-"

_"You find them utterly disgusting."_

"That's because they are, Mewtwo." The Hero of Twilight snapped. He exhaled sharply, before turning and walking away. "I need to get to my match."

The psychic didn't take the cold shoulder too lightly, and he summoned a Shadow Ball with one hand. He paused, before throwing it. The blond ducked out of the way as it hit the wall, giving it a large dent.

"What was that for!?" Link snapped, glaring at the psychic.

Mewtwo crossed his arms across his chest. _"Consider that a warning; that angering the Arcane isn't going to make you rise any higher in the ranks." _He growled back, before disappearing from the other's view. The Hero of Twilight shook his head, before continuing his journey to the Arena.

Ranks, ranks, ranks...the idea of that was disgusting, too.

* * *

"Cagemaster?" Strength asked as he knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

There was silence, but Strength knew that the Cagemaster did not need to reply verbally to tell him-his instincts would. He took a deep breath, adjusted his ponytail, and slowly opened the door.

_"Why do you hesitate, Strength?"_ The Cagemaster's deep voice echoed in the large chamber. _"Come in, and take a seat."_

Strength merely nodded, and moved towards an empty armchair. He hesitated, before sitting down.

"What is it that you ask of me, Cagemaster?" He asked quietly.

The Cagemaster said nothing for a moment, before speaking again. _"I was looking through your files," _The Cagemaster started. _"When I look at you in terms of relations with the Arcane...it's nothing unusual. But then I look at your current relations with the Smashers, and I am quite surprised that you have been befriending certain Smashers lately."_

"...Have I?" He asked, staring at the figure seated across from him. Strength couldn't see any masculinity or femininity in the Cagemaster as of now- all he could see was a figure in draping black robes, a hood obscuring the Cagemaster's face. "Is that crossing any lines?"

_"...No. Not yet. I'm just surprised that you, like Sun, have been warming up to Kirby, the little puffball." _The Cagemaster let out a chuckle. _"I suppose it was inevitable, considering that you do care for the ones that are usually younger, more naïve and innocent in the world. Does he...Does Kirby remind you of your younger sister, by any chance?"_

Strength swallowed slightly. He had hoped that the Cagemaster wouldn't bring this up, but if it did happen...

"Yes," He managed to answer. "Not as much as Death at times, but...quite close." He looked downwards.

_"I see. That is all, Strength. You can leave."_

Strength nodded quickly as he stood, and turned to leave. The Cagemaster looked down at the file of Kirby, held by shadowy hands.

_"Kirby...he may be useful in some way..."_


	3. Never saw me, never heard me

**_3. Never saw me, never heard me_**

The psychic Pokémon shook his head and let out a long breath as he sat on the rooftops, listening to the screams in the Arena below. He hated this sort of screaming-the ones of pain, of hatred, of sadistic glee. Mewtwo wasn't sure whether Link had started fighting the Hierophant yet, but he was already sure that the Hero of Twilight would lose this battle. Hatred would only be met by more hatred, and he knew that the Hierophant had a thing for holding grudges well.

The sound of an open A-string and E-string snagged his thoughts, and he looked up to notice a feminine figure tuning what appeared to be a black violin. She was clothed in shades of black and red from the shoulders down, with a choker of dark scarlet lace. Her golden eyes were focused on the violin, and the vibrations of the strings echoed across the roof, disappearing into the wind. She lifted the violin to her shoulder after retrieving a bow of the same colour, and started to play.

There was a dark, sullen tone to the melody, accompanied with moaning double-stops and shrieking shifts. The young woman almost seemed to be moving along with the music, a raven-black aura circling her as she continued to play. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head several times, as if the music and darkness were possessing her body, removing all consciousness from her being. Her body convulsed violently, and irregular breaths were barely heard from underneath the haunting music.

Mewtwo didn't realize that he had been holding his breath or straining his eyes on the sight until the music suddenly stopped. He closed his eyes for a moment, and exhaled.

He opened them to feel the violin bow (or was it a _sword?) _pressing lightly against his neck.

"You never saw me." The Devil hissed into his ear, her voice sharpening into a threatening growl. "You never saw me, never heard me. Is that understood?"

_"...Yes. Understood." _Mewtwo answered after a moment of silence. The sword turned into a violin bow, and the Devil stepped back, allowing Mewtwo to turn towards her. _"I do not understand, though...why?"_

"If anyone saw me like this, they would think I'm a lot softer than they perceive me as. I would like to keep the 'tough person' act for a little longer, thank you." The Devil responded, tucking the violin underneath her arm and holding the bow in one hand. "What is that you want?"

_"Things have been a bit dull with me. It's the same every day-fight a weak adversary, win, eat, and sleep. Of course, there is some talking with others on the side, but that is all."_

The Devil seemed to coyly and faintly smile. "You want higher stakes?" She asked quietly, raising an eyebrow in interest.

Mewtwo nodded. _"As the Cagemaster brought me here to fight to the death, I might as well desire such."_

"How about...you and me? Three days from now?" The Devil stalked closer to him as she continued. "At noon...Just the two of us."

_"What do we bet?"_

The Devil let out a chuckle. "Why, the_ best_ bet of course!" She crowed, her smile widening as golden eyes gleamed with excitement. "Loser does whatever the winner tells them to do when they wake up. _If _they ever wake up, of course."

Mewtwo grinned, violet eyes flashing with intrigue.

_"Deal."_

* * *

The Hierophant slashed at Link's stomach, barely cutting open the skin as Link jumped back. Link was losing, despite fighting with all he had. Enraging the Hierophant may not have been the best choice, but he _knew _he was the dominant in the exchanging of jeers, if not strikes. So what if the Hierophant would never get along with him? He didn't care about that.

"You will _never _call us disgusting again!" The Hierophant screamed at the Hero of Twilight. _"Never! _Do you understand, boy!?"

Link weakly grinned as he leaned against the fencing surrounding them, clutching at his wounds.

_"Never."_

The Hierophant let out a roar, and stabbed him through the left shoulder. Both of them glared into each other's eyes, their hatred fighting against each other. After a moment, the Arcane member pulled out the sword, slowly. Link let out a hoarse cry, eyes rolling back into his skull as he collapsed.

The crowd let out a horrified scream as the older man raised his sword, ready to swing it towards the Hero of Twilight's heart.

The buzzer sounded, calling the match to end. The Hierophant let out a sigh of disappointment, and sheathed his bloodied sword.

_"The winner is...THE HIEROPHANT!" _The announcer shouted, and the crowd let out a frenzy of screams, roars, and cheers.

The Hierophant smirked, gave a little bow towards the crowd, and then turned to spit on Link's broken form before he walked away.

The feeling of hatred was mutual between them. They didn't care one bit for each other at all, and neither of them minded that.

The Hierophant walked down the hallway, looking at his bloodstained shirt in disgust. He figured that he would toss it in the laundry-the Alloys would fix the stains for him. He was thankful that when the Cagemaster took over the Smasher's headquarters that she made the Alloys in charge of security and housecleaning-it saved everyone the trouble of having to hire many people to do it for them. The Alloys were best used for such puposes, he mused. They were servants; servants and nothing more.

Servants...

Guilt pricked his mind slightly. Of course, the Magician was an exception to that little rule. Of course. His lover wasn't an Alloy; the Magician was human and although a former servant of a rich household, he was far more than _just _a servant to him.

He ridded himself of the thoughts, and looked up to see the Devil leaning against the nearby wall.

"Congratulations." The Devil murmured quietly, her golden eyes making contact with his amber ones. "You really do hate that elf, don't you?"

The Hierophant smirked. "Of course." He purred softly, pride oozing from his voice. "Of course."

* * *

"I do hope he comes back soon." The Magician murmured out loud as he glanced at the plate of freshly-baked cookies on the kitchenette's counter. "I wonder if I should pour some drinks now, or..?"

"Magician?" The blond Arcane member turned to see Samus, peeking through the door. "Is that you?" She asked, a bit surprised.

The Magician nodded, beckoning for her to enter. "Why are you here?" He whispered quietly, his eyes darting around the room in a frenzy. "The Hierophant will be back soon, I need to figure out whether I want to serve him the bubbliest champagne that we have with these cookies or just chocolate milk, and don't you have a battle coming up today?"

"You're worrying over serving him drinks with cookies?" The bounty huntress asked, staring at the Magician in disbelief. "And Magician, it's not even noon-think."

"Oh. You're right; it _is _a bit early for one to be served alcoholic drinks, I suppose. Chocolate milk, then..." The Magician let out a sigh as he opened up a nearby fridge and grabbed the carton. "Again, don't you have a battle?"

"No. Not until tomorrow at noon-I'm going against Strength and Death in a team battle with Pit as my ally." She responded, crossing her arms. "Speaking of Death...Peach got killed by her just a couple minutes ago. I thought I'd tell you, because you got along with her so well...I'm sorry."

The older blond said nothing for a moment, grabbing two glass cups from another shelf and placing them on the counter.

"Well," He managed to say after a moment of silence, "I suppose that it would be inevitable. Death is...so strong and crazy, and Peach was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens to everyone. I am disappointed-I was planning on inviting the toadstool princess to tea tomorrow afternoon."

He was keeping a straight face as well as he could, but Samus knew that he was sad about it. He was too kind to simply dismiss it like that, after all. Out of all of the Arcane, he was the one that displayed the most emotion, the most honest one of all. Sometimes, the bounty huntress couldn't help but think if the other Arcane were hiding feelings, too.

"Darling Magician, can you explain about _why _the lower rank is in _my _room?"

The two turned to see the Hierophant, leaning against the doorframe. He glared a bit towards Samus, who just glared back at him in response.

"She was just popping in for a quick chat." The Magician explained quickly. "Nothing more." He turned towards Samus, and then shifted his head towards the doorway. Samus knew the meaning of it too well-she had overstayed her welcome, and she should go.

She walked past the Hierophant, taking note of his bloody clothes. _Has Link been killed? _She couldn't help but let the thought cross her mind.

Smashers being killed in battle was no rarity. Samus wondered sometimes if it was worse than becoming a trophy. She didn't want to know for herself. As far as she knew, she didn't want to die like this.


	4. Curiosity

**_4. Curiosity_**

"Poyo! Poyo!"

Kirby ran through the courtyard, forcing the oldest female Arcane member to chase after him.

"Kirby!" Sun shouted as she pushed several strands of dark brown hair out of her face. "Kirby, wait!"

"Poyo!" The little Smasher kept running and running, his grin wide with the excitement of the chase. Once Kirby had started running, it was almost as if he could never stop. Sun learned this right from the beginning when she first met him, and if she was going to take care of Kirby properly she would have to learn to catch up with him faster.

When Kirby suddenly stopped running, Sun nearly stumbled as she scooped him up in her arms. "What's wrong?" She asked him quietly, before looking up. "...Oh."

_"Sun. Kirby..." _The Cagemaster looked surprised to see the two of them, but Sun wasn't completely sure about it. The hood still obscured the Cagemaster's face from view. _"Pardon me for intruding on your fun and games, but I need to ask if you have seen Mewtwo around anywhere." _The Cagemaster murmured quietly.

Sun paused, looking down at Kirby for a moment, before answering. "I think he was on the rooftops with the Devil earlier..."

_"And they made a bet, didn't they?" _The Cagemaster gave a small 'hmph' at this. _"I do not particularly enjoy bets being made. Are the stakes not high enough in this tournament alone?"_

The Sun shook her head quietly. "That's not it, Cagemaster. The Devil and Mewtwo just like playing with high stakes-they're in for the thrill." She tried to explain. "At least, that's what I think. And it makes sense. The Devil does like high stakes and danger. Mewtwo has been accustomed to fighting very advanced technology-not that yours is not advanced, Cagemaster-and he doesn't truly enjoy picking on weaker opponents, unlike Death and the Hierophant."

The Cagemaster nodded once. _"True, I suppose." _There was a pause, before the Cagemaster spoke again. _"I suppose I should make sure to make Mewtwo go against more dangerous opponents then. Samus Aran or Meta Knight may work a bit better with him..." _There was a small nod. _"See you both later."_

Sun heaved a sigh as the Cagemaster left their sight, and Kirby looked up at her in confusion.

"No, Kirby...it's nothing." She lied quietly. "It's nothing important. I'm sure that bet between the Devil and Mewtwo isn't that deadly."

She knew she was lying to him. She hated lying to him, but she didn't want him to get exposed to the worst case scenario yet, if she could.

* * *

"Ugh, I'm bored." Death let out a yawn as she stretched a bit on the couch. "Do you have _any_ ideas, Hierophant?" She asked, looking up at the older Arcane member behind her.

The Hierophant shrugged in response. "Not really," He murmured quietly. "None of us Arcane have matches today, so there's nothing interesting to watch in the Arena, sadly. I did hear that you and Strength are going against Samus and Pit tomorrow, though...how about you go train for the match?"

Death shook her head. "Nah...I already played with Strength earlier, but he shooed me out early. He said he heard something about a bet and that he needed to help someone win that bet."

The older man's facial expression turned to intrigue. "Really?" He murmured gently, his voice getting low and husky. "Tell me more." He requested, leaning a bit closer to her.

The younger girl rolled her eyes. crossing her arms as she responded. "Not until you drop the 'I'm-trying-to-intimidate-you' act, you idiot."

He let out a groan, shaking his head as he leaned back. "Come on, Death," He pouted quietly, "I'm trying to _cue_ you to tell me _more_ about this bet, if you know anymore about it. Can't you give me a break?"

"Can't." The other replied quickly, uncrossing their arms and resting her hands on her knees as she sat up. "Besides, I barely know a thing about the bet. All I know that it involves the Devil and Mewtwo."

"Is that so...?" The Hierophant smirked slightly. "Heh, this should be interesting to see how it plays out."

* * *

Mewtwo ducked a punch from Strength as he asked the question. _"Explain to me how exactly you heard of my bet with the Devil?"_

"The Cagemaster overheard you two talking, and proceeded to rant to Death and I about the whole thing." The other responded as he inched himself out of the way of a Shadow ball attack. "Seriously, Mewtwo, are you crazy? The Devil will strip the flesh off your bones before you can scream 'uncle.' Are you really sure you want to continue with that bet?"

_"A bet is a bet." _The psychic replied quickly, ducking a kick from the other before the two continued exchanging punches. _"I do not intend to back down from this challenge. The fact that it is the Devil that wants to battle me makes it more exciting, and I can't back down from a such a devilish being as her."_

Strength ducked the next few waves of Shadow balls, before he and Mewtwo suddenly went still. The two heaved a sigh as sweat dripped down their worn frames, before the Arcane member spoke up again.

"Are you honestly _sure _that you want to battle her?"

Mewtwo said nothing, and turned away from the other. He took a few steps towards the doors leading to the hallway, but he stopped. It was only then that Mewtwo spoke again.

_"As I mentioned earlier, I do not intend to back down from the challenge she has given me. I cannot back down, and I will not back down from this challenge. If she wants to fight me, let her have it the way she wants."_

Strength wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but he refrained from voicing his opinion further on the matter. Mewtwo would not listen-Strength doubted he would. If Mewtwo wanted to go with that choice, let him have it the way he wanted it.

* * *

Link hissed as he felt the damp cloth press against the gash on his forehead. He tried to inch away from the tender yet stinging touch, but the effort was in vain-he was far too tired to resist, after all, and lying in a bed didn't help. The Magician let out a sigh as he held Link's head with one hand as he continued to wipe away at the blood.

"I find it extremely foolish to try to patch up such horrid wounds yourself. Why didn't you come see me earlier?" He asked quietly as he dabbed the wet cloth at the Hero of Twilight's forehead and face, cleaning the wounds as best as he could. Link just glared at him, and the Magician didn't wince at the look. "Look, I understand that you despise me because I am in a romantic relationship with the Hierophant, but could you please put that aside and just let me help you clean these wounds at least? The ones at your torso will have to be rewrapped with bandages because whoever tried to help you with it didn't do a good job, no offense, and-"

"I know you're supposed to heal my wounds. I get that..." Link interrupted as he blew a few strands of blood-caked hair out of his face. "But, I don't get how you can ever be with that Hierophant. You're nothing like him."

The older blond let out a soft groan as he heard the question. "Why is everyone asking me this question lately? First, it's Miss Samus, now it's you..."

Link dared to barely raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "Samus asked you about it?"

"Yes." He paused, before pushing what remained of Link's bandages aside to reveal a scratched-up torso. "Mm...most of the wounds have stopped bleeding, but I should try to clean them, at least, before rewrapping them with new bandages..."

"Seriously though, why?"

The Magician was silent as he started to wipe some of the torso wounds, but he responded after a moment. "I'm not sure if you would understand, Link. I'm not sure if you would want to know. I have my...personal things I would rather like to keep to myself, after all."

Link stayed silent, unsure of what else to say. He didn't want to delve into an issue if it was going to get personal. He wasn't sure if he wanted to handle that right now. He did know, though, that the Magician was not completely disgusting-only in terms of him with the Hierophant so far. There was a goodness in him, and the Hero of Twilight couldn't help but wonder if the Magician had been different before this tournament.

Had the Magician ever been different before this? Link wasn't sure if he would ever find out.

* * *

**Author note: I would like to thank everyone who has read this fic so far! I really appreciate it!**


	5. Night

**_5. Night_**

_"Do you and Mewtwo necessarily need to go call bets with each other behind my back?"_

The Devil rolled her eyes, before turning to face the Cagemaster. "Why not?" The Arcane member replied, as if the question was as easy as asking if she wanted to eat a most delicious cake. "I like high stakes. He likes high stakes. You know that, Cagemaster."

The Cagemaster said nothing for a moment, and instead floated towards the Devil until they were face to face. _"I know that. But still, I don't find it to be anything of loyalty to me. You claim loyalty, yet you go and break the rules. Are you truly just doing these things for the sake of your 'high stakes,' or are you using this as a way to betray me without me knowing?"_

The Devil smiled gently, shaking her head. "Cagemaster..." She trailed off quietly. "I would never betray you." She took a few steps closer to the Cagemaster, before she crouched onto a knee. Taking one of the Cagemaster's hands, she kissed the back of it quietly, eyes looking up at the Cagemaster as she continued to kiss it. "After all you have built, after all you have done for yourself, myself, and for everyone, I will never betray you."

_"You swear it, Devil?"_

"I swear it." The other whispered quietly, continuing the displays of loyalty until the Cagemaster pulled the hand away. The Devil straightened herself as the Cagemaster spoke again.

_"Very well, then. I have no objections to your little bet. I only command that you will not die."_

"I shall do my very best, Cagemaster."

The Devil smiled. The Cagemaster kept its emotionless state, but started to smile just as the Devil left the room.

Things_ were_ going to get quite interesting, after all.

* * *

"Dang...I didn't think that they were so good!" Death commented to Strength as Pit blocked her scythe with his twin blades. "Strength, focus on Samus. I'll partner with the angel for a little bit!"

"Sounds alright." The older Arcane member responded, ducking a punch from Samus before tackling her to the ground. The two grappled with each other, and she punched him in the face once before the two finally got off the ground, exchanging blows and dodging the more fatal ones.

"Hello!" Death greeted Pit with a smile as she continued to slash at him with her scythe. "Lovely day for blood to be spilled, isn't it?"

"I'd rather not, thanks." The angel responded quickly as he ducked a punch she tried to give to his face. He was able to slash at her a few times, but he kept missing with every attempt. The young Arcane member merely let out a shriek of laughter, and knocked him into the nearby fencing surrounding them.

"Stay down, will you?" Death whispered to the groaning angel, before sending a few, sharp-wired barbs through the sleeves of his toga, pinning him to the floor. "I want to play with the bounty hunter, and it's no fun if you keep ruining the opportunity to do that!" With that being said, she transformed her scythe into a sword, rushing towards where Strength and Samus were fighting. "Hey! Let me join, too!"

"Death, I can do this myself." Strength told her firmly as he ducked a punch from Samus. "Shouldn't you be focusing on Pit?"

Death shrugged. "I've got him pinned down for a few moments. Can I join?"

The older one let out a sigh after punching Samus in the stomach. "Fine. Don't get mad if you get caught in some sneak attack later, though..."

Death rolled her eyes, before she took out three more daggers, throwing them at Samus. The bounty hunter dodged the first two daggers, but the third one caught her in the left shoulder. Letting out a grunt of pain, she did not hesitate to take out the dagger, holding it tightly in her right hand as she glared daggers at the young girl. Death merely laughed, before taking out two daggers and spinning them about in her hands.

_"Surrender?"_ Strength offered. Samus knew he was offering her a last chance-a chance to just simply give up the battle and escape unharmed. She shook her head.

_"No."_ Samus responded sharply, throwing the bloodied dagger aside before taking out her plasma whip. She wasn't going to give up yet.

* * *

"I don't know whether I want to watch more or turn it off." The Magician muttered quietly. "Samus, why didn't you accept the offer?"

The Devil leaned towards him from behind, peering from over his shoulder as he sat on the couch in the lounge, watching the battle unfold before their eyes. "She doesn't want to surrender because she's got her pride as a fighter." The violinist murmured softly in response to the Magician's question. "And...who would protect the angel in battle if she left?"

The Magician went silent, just as Mewtwo entered the room, accompanied by the Hierophant. "Well, well, well..." The Hierophant drawled gently. "I never thought there would ever be a day where there would be one Smasher in the room with three Arcane. Most Smashers would take that as a sign of warning and run away."

"Why are you here?" The Devil asked Mewtwo as she walked over to him. "It's not like you to hang out with the likes of us, so much..."

_"I just wanted to confirm that you aren't going to be backing out of our bet." _The psychic Pokémon responded, crossing his arms.

The Devil laughed. "Of course not!" She declared, smiling a bit. "It would be so cowardly to back out now, wouldn't it?"

"But..." The Magician spoke up as he watched Pit leap in front of Samus on the screen to protect her, "What's the point of bets? I would rather get _my_ thrills from reading-there is so much one can absorb from literature. Must you risk your lives to sate your desires?"

Neither Mewtwo nor the Devil answered him.

"There is no use in talking them out of it. They're bound to it like drunks to alcohol-completely addicted." The Hierophant murmured, walking over the Magician and embracing him from behind with both arms. "They won't stop drinking it in until it's too late."

"...It's too true, indeed."

* * *

**Author note: Sorry this took a while to update (again, tons of fanfics to work on updating, a contest entry to work on-though I really doubt I'm going to get it done by the deadline now, sadly-as well as other things). Next chapter will consist of the Devil and Mewtwo's battle, as well as the aftermath of Samus and Pit's battle against Death and Strength. Thanks for your patience!**

**Also: I HAVE A POLL ON MY PROFILE! It would be awesome if you readers voted on it, as it will help me figure out what to focus on updating. Thanks!**


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